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Friday, December 13, 2013

Gifted College Students and Androgynous Identities

College students are trying to determine an identity
in life and a path forward in their careers. Gifted college students don’t fit
well into narrow stereotypes and maintain identities that are deep and complex.
Research by Miller, et. al. (2009) on gifted gender roles indicate that gifted excitability and higher potential have androgynous identities that accept a
more complex set of male and female personality traits.

Gender identity and personality are associated into
an intertwined relationship. Incorrectly people assume that males are supposed
to be instrumental while females are supposed to be expressive. There is an
assumption that the sex is related in some way to the personality and behavior
of the individual. Societal influence appears to be the most profound
definition of how boys and girls should act.

Males and females are considered opposite ends of
the spectrum. Generally, people adhere to one or the other. When doing so they prescribe tightly to social
norms regardless of internal processes.When individuals have androgyny they are capable of accepting both male
and female aspects of their personality within the same individual construct.
Undifferentiated individuals do not adhere to either male or female roles nor
have they integrated varying aspects of gender behavior.

Androgynous individuals are considered psychologically
the healthiest. They can understand their personal characteristics as existing
on a plane of traditional male to female aspects and accept the varying degrees
of their personality that fits within these modes. They are not rigidly defined
by sex norms and are situational in their actions and behaviors. One aspect of their personality may be more masculine (i.e. sports) while another could be more feminine (i.e. empathy) in traditional sex roles.

According to Dabrowski’s theory of
high gifted development with over excitability, their success lays in developmental
potential, social environment, and internal decision-making. Those with over-excitabilities that impact the
central nervous system develop to higher levels because they have stronger
experiences of emotional, intellectual, imaginational, sensual, and psychomotor
stimuli. When an individual contains all of the potentials they have the
highest capabilities for development.

The authors study of 562 gifted
college students found that those with androgynous identities have intense
over-excitabilities. Such individuals have the highest potential for advanced
personality development. Of all the excitabilities emotional, intellectual, and
imaginational seems to have the greatest influence on personality development. Colleges and teachers should not rigidly
define sex and stereotypes for this group so as to ensure the most comfortable
learning environment.

We can draw some inferences from
this study. Gifted college students do not fit rigidly into male and female
social roles. Those with the highest excitabilities and potential incorporate
aspects of both male and female traits within their personality. This is part
of advanced development. When people rigidly define their behaviors by their
sex they lack a sense of awareness and genuiness about themselves which can
create tension. Professors should avoid pushing less developed stereotypes
about sex roles on gifted college students who have higher potentials in
multiple facets of their personalities.